La Vie est Belle

Our stay in Saint-Raphael got off to a slow start with intermittent rain over the first few days. My CAO (Chief Accommodations Officer) did a great job however, securing a nice apartment less than 100 metres from the Mediterranean with a direct view to the sea, making it easy to head out for short walks around the town (40K pop.) when the opportunity arose. The seafront promenade went all the way to the adjoining city, Frejus, where we also ventured to see their Roman ruins (amphitheatre, aqueduct, wall) dating back to the 2nd century. 

Our first real introduction to luxury along the French Riviera came on a day trip to Saint-Tropez.....by bus, which is not how the rich and famous travel but it worked for us. Large yachts were parked in the centre of the marina for all to dream about and the main street was filled with Louis Vuitton, Gucci and many more high end stores for those who were in need of retail therapy. We walked uphill to the Citadel for some lovely views of the town (4K pop. but 6 million visitors a year) and surrounding area. Later at a late lunch in a square we watched the pedestrian traffic go by carrying their high-end store bags and the local men playing petanque (the French version of bocci ball). All is not well in the small town though. Louis Vuitton and his pals Moet (champagne) and Hennessey (cognac) started buying up property (including the top 2 hotels), as did other rich and famous people, driving many locals out of town. But the rich only stay for a few weeks during the summer, so when the tourists stop coming in the colder months the grocery stores have trouble staying open, as do other retail stores. The locals have started calling it LVMH-town.

The next day we took the train to Cannes, famous for it's film festival. The city was more crowded than anywhere we have been so far, even though it is an expensive place to stay. No complaints though, the food and wine all along the Cote d'Azur has been excellent and worth the money. Luxury yachts lined the harbourfront and we didn't come across anyone complaining about the cost of groceries or housing. Another day travelled inland to the mountain town of Grasse, now recognized as the perfume capital of the world. We took a tour in one of the more famous perfumeries, Fragonard, to understand the manufacturing process which provided a better understanding of why the cost is so high for a small bottle. The old town, with it's narrow cobblestone streets, was nice to stroll along providing you were heading downhill. 

The following day, with the temperature in the mid 20's we decided to take it easy and enjoy the sandy beach of Saint Raphael. The author even had a swim in the Mediterranean. On our final day we took the train to the seaside town of Antibes on the east side of Cannes. It's harbour was also filled once again with beautiful yachts. The highlight though was the Picasso Museum, showcasing his art from when he lived there for a short while (post WW2). We have always enjoyed his art which is unlike any other artist. We walked though the old town and then continued on to Juan les Pins, another seaside town on the opposite side of the Cap D'Antibes peninsula.

We loved our time in Saint Raphael. Being close to the train station made it easy for day trips and being so close to the beach and promenade was also a bonus. Our next short-term home will be further east along the coast in Villefranche-sur-Mer, on the east side of Nice. Stay tuned.

The view from our apartment in Saint-Raphael. We were also able to watch the sun go down in the evening.

Saint-Raphael also had an art walk through the town who had commissioned French artists to create murals on walls throughout the old town.

While on the art walk we came across groups of men playing petanque, similar to bocci ball, in an area designed just for that. We watched for a while and were impressed with the skills they displayed.

The sandy beach in Saint-Raphael, two hundred metres from our apartment, where we spent an afternoon on a 25 celcius day. The Mediterranean was cool to enter but once you were in it was comfortable. The sandy bottom made it easy to wade in.

While on our walk to Frejus and their Roman ruins we came across their North Harbour. It was a brilliant way to provide more docking spaces in a safe spot with easy access for those who lived nearby.

The view away from Saint Tropez from the hilltop Citadel. You will notice two very large homes, each with a pool, who were likely not owned by a local.

While strolling around the old town of Saint Tropez we encountered a popular oyster bar where the staff were doing the shucking and the tourists consuming their aphrodisiac.

The view of Cannes taken from the old castle on a hilltop. Just behind the yachts is the Palais des Festivals where the film festival is held every year. On the sidewalk at the entrance the stars handprints were visible on the concrete squares.

The harbourside area in Cannes filled with both restaurants and people. We later found out that the school children had started a two week fall break which helped add to the influx of people traffic.

While dining in one of those Cannes waterfront restaurants we enjoyed a tasty meal of slightly grilled tuna, chicken salad and grilled vegetables, complemented by a nice bottle of Provence wine.

Inland to Grasse we toured the famous Fragonard parfumerie. In this area the perfected eau de parfum was being bottled (in aluminum where it will last up to 6 years) and packaged for distribution.

While walking around the Antibes harbour, Pocahontas thought this beauty would help her navigate the waters more easily than the canoe we once owned (McKenzie Lake cryptic).

Cows from Heaven

 Our fall trip got off to a wonderful start with a visit to our Swiss daughter and partner's home. It was a very short stay as the next day they took us into the Swiss Alps to the Alp Abzug festival in Prattigau (one of many in Switzerland), where it was time to celebrate the cows returning from their summer high Alpine pastures and back to the their cozy winter homes in the valley. The cows were decorated with flowers and wore large, noisy cowbells as they paraded along the town streets. Several thousand people ascended on the small village for the spectacle which also included local food, drink and music. We had an overnight stay nearby where our balcony had fabulous views of the Alps and the valley below us.

Saying goodbye, we left Basel and took several trains into France to the southern region where we rented a small house apartment in Saint-Cyr-sur-Mer (Saint Cyr by the Sea), our base for the week. The Mediterranean seaside cities and towns we visited all had low 20's C temperatures so it was a nice introduction to the Cote d'Azur. Our French is slowly coming back to us and I have stopped responding in Spanish which we have used more often in the recent past. We have enjoyed many meals around the various harbourfronts, eating fresh seafood and watching the promenade activity from our table. Our day trips included visits to Cassis (busy marina area, even in October), Marseille (old port area, climb to Basilica Notre-Dame de la Garde for great views), and Toulon (large harbourfront filled with restaurants, Hotel des Artes for some contemporary art).

Our hosts treated us very well, greeting us with local Provence wine and later homemade vegetable soup (au pistau), while also offering us use of their hot tub whenever we wanted. Saint Cyr turned out to be a terrific place to stay. Beyond the seaside walks we tripped over the popular 20th Alsatian Market festival where food and wine kept everyone in a good mood. It was a wonderful start to our French Riviera adventure and more lies ahead as today we moved east along the coast to Saint-Raphael which will be our next Cote d'Azur base.

Au revoir

The Alp Abzug festival we attended in Switzerland. With their large cowbells ringing, it became very obvious the next herd was right around the corner.

When the parade ended, the crowd moved from the streets to one of two food and drink areas where local musicians (under the tent) entertained those who wanted to listen.

The view from our balcony that our daughter booked for our overnight stay in the Swiss Alps. The base of a ski hill was right behind us, and was busy with mountain bikers using the snowless ski runs.

The marina in Saint-Cyr-sur-Mer which had a population of 15K. There was a nice boardwalk that went all the way to the villages on either side of the town which we walked on different days. 

While out on a long walk one day I tripped over an annual festival in Saint Cyr celebrating food and drink from Alsace, a province in the NE of France. With almost every stall selling wine, beer or Alsatian food the audience was all in a good mood.

The Cassis harbour. Cassis is nicknamed the small Saint-Tropez and the seafront promenade was filled with people enjoying the seafood restaurants or just having drinks and observing the foot traffic and views.

The Grand Staircase outside of the Marseille Saint-Charles train station. The detailed sculpture work on the sides dates back to 1848.

A view of the Basilica Notre-Dame de la Garde in the background overlooking the city of Marseille. Our workout for the day delivered a stunning interior of the church.

A view from the Basilica to some outer islands. The small island in the middle was a former fortress turned into a prison. In the Count of Monte Cristo, the prison was featured as the place where the Count spent 14 lonely years.

One of the many wall murals found in the artsy Le Panier neighbourhood of Marseilles. It is the oldest

 section of the city, first inhabited by the Greeks.

The lovely seaside promenade in Toulon with a statue letting everyone know on which side the water was.

While seated by the water in Toulon we both ordered mussels for lunch and each received a pot

 which had to contain at least 6 dozen fresh mussels. It took quite a while to consume them and we almost required a second bottle of wine to go with them.

Fast and Furious

 From Prescott we moved over to the Colorado River. We stayed in the Parker Strip community just north of Parker and along the Arizona side of the Colorado River. Great state parks exist along the river but we also enjoyed the  Pirate's Den RV park with a popular beach bar (The Thirsty Pirate) and the excellent Black Pearl restaurant next to it. Speedboats and Jet Ski's raced up and down the Colorado River which was entertaining to watch albeit with a bit too much noise. There was also a nice golf course across the road (Emerald Canyon) that we enjoyed several times. We did have some problems with WiFi reception but that just meant more time at the beach bar! 

With temperatures continuing to be in the high 20's C, we decided to head north to St. George, Utah where 20-25C weather was forecast. We had spent time here before but usually for a day or two as we were heading south or on our way back home, with nice golf courses in the area. It was also the gateway to Zion NP, one of our favourite NP's and we did take a day for yet another return visit to this stunning rock wall park with hiking trails for all levels. We made Hurricane our home for the week in an RV park (Willow Wind) filled with trees providing lots of shade for every site. 3 rounds of golf ensued on rock canyon courses where accuracy was critical and the red rock surroundings a treat for the eyes.

Cooler single digit morning temperatures forced a drive back south 3.5 hours, this time to Laughlin, Nevada for 4 nights, which is also alongside the Colorado River.  We avoided the casinos in Laughlin, preferring to spend our money on the golf course where we at least got some exercise and the occasional moment of brilliance. Both Laughlin and Bullhead City, Arizona, which is on the other side of the Colorado River both have seen better times and I doubt we will return again.

Our final extended stay was planned for Sin City with the intent of catching a couple of concerts or shows, plus some golf. Another surprise awaited us, as we arrived at the beginning of Race Week where the Formula 1 race preparation was underway for the 6.2 km track with a Las Vegas strip straightaway allowing speeds of over 200 mph. It also somehow allowed our Oasis RV park to double the nightly site rates to almost $200 U.S., so we shortened our visit, departing midweek after attending an entertaining and very lively Keith Urban concert. I did take in a restricted view of the first F1 practice session, held at night to help prepare the drivers not only for the track but for the neon lights atmosphere which would be prevalent for the 10 pm race on the w/e. Ticket prices were in the thousands ($) so there as no incentive for us to stick around. Unfortunately for those that paid hundreds of dollars for the first Practice session, it only lasted 9 minutes due to faulty road conditions. That made for some furious fans.

We are now back in St. George, Utah for a final golf game and to prep our motorhome for the winter. A dry road forecast should enable a safe drive back home.

A couple of observations from our SouthWest drives. We have noticed an increase in the number of RV'ers boondocking in open scrub desert spaces. Most were older units and with the increased cost of living and RV parks in general, likely aiding this trend. While the land seems unusable for agriculture due to the lack of water, hopefully they are cleaning up after themselves, giving the land back to the wildlife the way they found it. On another note, Nevada had many large Solar Farms viewed from the highways, more than any other state we have come across. Too bad so much of the cultivated energy is used for lighting up Las Vegas beyond imagination.

Happy trails.

The Pirate's Den RV Park beach alongside the Colorado River. It was a nice spot along the Parker Strip to watch the sun go down across the river on the California side.

The Thirsty Pirate Beach Bar which seemed busy no matter what time of the day it was. Within a short walk of everyone's RV site it was a smart decision by the Park owners and paid dividends for them.

The Emerald Canyon Golf Course across the road from our Parker Strip RV park. The course as in good condition with wonderful views so we made multiple visits.

The Court of the Matriarchs at Zion National Park. We never get tired of returning to the park which also means a lunch or dinner stop at Oscars in Springdale.

The Sand Hollow Golf Course near St. George, Utah. The Clubhouse is in the background.

The 13th hole at the Sand Hollow GC. Accuracy was important otherwise you said goodbye to many golf balls.

We took in a Keith Urban concert while in Las Vegas at the Bakkt Theatre (Planet Hollywood). All 7,000 fans  were frequently on their feet while the country music star entertained everyone with a lively 2 hour performance.

While wandering around the F1 track looking for a sneak peek at the race cars during their first practice session I noticed the sound die down and then came across this screen explaining why. A couple of cars were damaged due to an unsecured manhole cover causing the cancellation after only 9 minutes. In the background on the screen is the new MGN Sphere which holds 20,000 concert goers and just wrapped up an opening residency by U2.

Old Favourites and New Finds

I wasn't going to publish a blog for this Fall 2023 campervan trip covering the U.S. Southwest since we had covered the area many times. However, never say never! Since we had no particular destination in mind, a review of October temperatures in the SW uncovered the north end of New Mexico as a favourable landing spot so away we went. We had previously spent time in the south end of New Mexico but never the north end because at 5.000 feet above sea level the weather was cold when we were nearby in the past. As a result I will post infrequent updates to the blog when previously uncovered places emerge or an old favourite resurfaces.

 Our trip began with a return trip to Yellowstone NP. While we had been to the World's first national park (1872) before, we had only covered a portion of the 2.2 million acres that expands into 3 states (Montana, Idaho and Wyoming). We discovered some new features within the park but with only one day spent in the park due to cooler temperatures, it was clear that another return or two would be necessary.

3 days later, via Wyoming and Colorado(enjoyed Pueblo, Co), we landed in Santa Fe, New Mexico for 4 nights. It is the oldest state capital  in the U.S., founded in 1610, with streets lined with pueblo style adobe buildings. The old town was a treat to walk around with the many artisan shops selling authentic Native American items, although at more inflated prices than found at non-tourist sites. Highlights included the Old Town Plaza, the Santa Fe Chapel (1610), the Railyard Arts District and Market, and the Canyon Road art stroll. The Shed was also a hot spot for lunch which earned the long line-ups.

A one hour drive south led us to Albuquerque and our timing was perfect, even though we were unaware of it at the time. The International Hot Air Balloon Fiesta was in full swing upon arrival limiting RV park vacancies but we eventually found a spot due to our ability to change sites on a daily basis. With over 500 balloons in the air every morning it was a treat to watch, enabled by an app provided by a local TV station. I posted some screenshots from the app since they were much clearer than our longer distance shots. But that wasn't all. The 31st Arts & Crafts Festival was also underway with live music and food trucks providing a break from the many covered aisles of beautiful artisan work from across the U.S. Albuquerque is also home to Petroglyphs National Monument, home to over 24,000 carvings sketched into the rocks on the city's west side. We followed a trail to see hundreds of glyphs until the high 20's C temperature took its toll on our energy source. The final highlight occurred at 10:30 am on Oct. 14th when an annular solar eclipse happened. An "annular" eclipse happens when the moon is further away in its orbit, and does not fully cover the much larger sun, creating a golden ring overhead that does not fully shadow the earth below. Looking up for a glancing view of the sun delivered a normal bright sun, but when wearing the special safety glasses being handed out, the golden ring was very visible and also when the glasses covered the lens of our camera. It was an amazing sight to watch the moon start to partially cover the sun until it reached it's perfect spot in the centre, at which time hoots and hollers erupted from the crowds in open spaces.  At the same time it was hard to understand nearby road traffic seemingly unaware of this awesome lifetime sight. We also managed to squeeze in a couple of golf games (Sandia Golf Club recommended) along with visits to the National Museum of Nuclear Science (good and bad use) and the Rio Grande Nature Centre. 

Both Santa Fe and Albuquerque will be trip highlights on this venture and very worthy of our almost 2 week stay. We have now moved on to Prescott, Arizona, an old favourite with it's round boulders a sight to behold as we continue to try and deal with the extreme high 20's C heat in this El Nino year even though we remain at 5,000 feet elevation with higher than normal temps everywhere we have been.

One of the many hot springs at Yellowhead NP. The beautiful colours are created by the various bacteria types that can survive at hot temperatures.

The lovely riverwalk at Pueblo, Colorado where they have recreated the site where the recently diverted Arkansas River used to flow through, eliminating any floods within the city.

The colourful Cultural Art Museum pillars in Santa Fe, New Mexico

Colourful ristras being sold at the Santa Fe market. While stringing drying chili peppers together with garlic bulbs and other vegetables for later consumption was quite common, this artisan took it to another level.

This screenshot was taken on Special Characters day at the Albuquerque Balloon Fiesta. You should be able to spot quite a few.

There was an Evening Glow every night at the Fiesta. The balloons did not actually take off, so the packed festival crowd roamed around the grounds for the views. We watched it on TV!

One of the many petroglyphs at Petroglyph National Monument. Many others could be spotted further up the hills but we were only allowed to walk higher up when the paths took us there.

The 10:30 am shot of the annular solar eclipse in Albuquerque, taken with the special glasses in front of our camera lens. Without the glasses on it seemed like a perfectly normal day outside, yet one would not have been able to see the eclipse.

Young flamenco dancers performing at the ABQ Old Town Plaza.

A short hike from our Prescott, Arizona RV park led us through the round rock boulders to Watson Lake.

Back to Where it all Started

Our return trip to Paris took us over 30 years, so it was definitely time to re-visit the City of Light. With light rain all 3 days it was a good thing we opted for a light schedule. Our first target was a 45 minute walk to the Musee d'Orsay, one of our favourite art museums. The museum, known for its impressionist painters (Monet, Matisse, Renoir. and many more) inhabited the former man railway station (1900-1977) and has 6 floors of impressive works. There was also an Edvard Munch (The Scream) exhibit going on, which made it clear that he should be known for much more than his most popular painting. The next day we took a train to Versailles to visit the Palace, which had escaped us the first time. The Palace is massive and features some of the finest French art from the 17th century with multiple paintings in the 50 or so rooms we were allowed to see (2300 rooms in total). Successive Kings enlarged and embellished the palace with every reign. but Louis XIV really put his stamp on the palace. It would take a full day to explore the palace Grand 'Apartments', the vast Gardens area (formerly a royal hunting ground), and the Estate of Trianon (which we ran out of energy to see). The opulence was a bit absurd, but displayed the power of the reigning kings at the time.

From Paris, we took the high speed 3 hour train, westward to Basel, Switzerland. We have been there more times than anywhere else in Europe, and rightly so, with our first born daughter living there with her Swiss partner. We were greeted with fondue dinner at their home, a nice Swiss start. The next day we visited the Tinguely Museum to discover more about this curious artist, who sculpted mechanical objects using recycled materials, mostly metals. His intent was to satirize automation and over-development waste. We had seen his famous Tinguely Fountain and were interested in finding out more about this creative soul. Our final day included a one hour trip to Zurich for a concert by the Irish rock band, Kodaline. They put on a great show in front of a sold out (1,500) crowd in a standing room only venue. A good time was had by all.

After our good-bye hugs, we flew from Basel to Amsterdam, where this journey started 2.5 months ago. At that time we spent our days roving around the Netherlands (south), saving some Amsterdam highlights for our final few days. The first of those was the Anne Frank House, which still needs to be booked in advance in order to gain entry. The former house where she hid from the Nazi's in the annex at the back of the home was crowded in the tiny rooms but like us, everyone wanted to capture every detail of this young icon's short life. It was haunting as visitors moved through the attic rooms in complete silence, with reality sinking in as the walls told the stories. While history is supposed to prevent us from repeating horrific events in our past, it is sad to see racial and cultural divides on the increase in today's world. Perhaps we need to listen to John Lennon's 'Imagine' non-stop for a few years. Museum day was destined for our final full day, as we headed straight for Museumplein (plaza). Rijkmuseum, the national art museum, featuring a vast number of paintings from the Dutch Golden Age (1584-1702). With over 8,000 pieces we tried to keep our focus  on Rembrandt, Van Gogh and Vermeer, but there were many other great Dutch artist's works to be found. Overall, we spent close to 2 weeks in the Netherlands, and we really enjoyed our time there. With it's easily walkable terrain, picturesque canal scenes, cheese heaven and much more, a return visit may be in our future.

That brings to a close our 10 country, 77 day adventure to Europe and Egypt-Jordan. It was a wonderful experience involving many different cultures, and left us a bit weary by the end of it, but we have more special memories that will last forever. We are thankful for the opportunity we have been given to explore this wonderful world of ours.

The interior of the Musee d'Orsay in Paris. built in an old railway station. The art was displayed in rooms on 3 floors, at one end of the impressive structure. It featured art from 1848 (when the Louvre's collection ends) until 1914.

The front courtyard of the Palace of Versailles. With each member of the King's family having their own apartment (each consisting of 4-5 large rooms), they sometimes went weeks without seeing each other, even though they were all in the same palace.

The Hall of Mirrors, inside the Palace of Versailles. Built in the early 1680's, it replaced a former terrace. There were 357 mirrors in the 75 metre hallway were meant to showcase France's capability of matching the Venetian monopoly on mirror manufacturing.

The Gardens area at the rear of the Palace of Versailles, which seemed to stretch on forever. It would have been a lot more colourful in the spring and summer. We did hear some shots being fired in the former hunting grounds on the left side, but we wisely decided to keep our distance.

A smaller version of the Tinguely Fountain, situated at the front of the Tinguely Museum. I'm not sure we will ever know haw this man's mind worked, but his art certainly reminded us of how our 'toss out and replace' mindset is not in the world's best interest.

Moving day from an upper floor. With so many city Europeans living in older apartment buildings, with small rooms and narrow hallways, this was a common scene. Large household items often had to be brought out through one of their large windows and then lowered (or raised) by a crane like this one.

In a city know for its incredible amount of bicycle traffic, this was a lovely Amsterdam street sighting.

The Rijkmuseum in Amsterdam, one of the world's great art treasures. To improve the lighting and feel of the museum, a 10 year long renovation began in 2003. During that time the people fought to maintain the bicycle underpass through the centre of the museum.

Rembrandt's famous painting, Night Watch. It was well protected, with a glass shield 5 metres in front of the painting, and a museum watchdog nearby. The painting was meant to depict a time in history when night guards were on duty to protect the city from raids.

One final canal shot at the end of our trip. This was a typical Amsterdam canal neighbourhood, with narrow one way streets on either side of the canal. Apartment buildings, often with shops on the ground floor, accompanied these scenes.